The Argument of Lian Harper
by JudeDeluca
Summary: Lian and Roy have an argument over Lian's use of a gun for practice. Not all sunshine and roses in this fic.


Disclaimer: Characters owned by DC.

The continuity by LevyRasputin.

This is actually the second fic I've done on one picture by her. For questions as to what's going on, this takes place on Levy's Earth-618 world.

Sooraya is Sooraya Qadir, Dust of the X-Men, who in this continuity is in a relationship with Roy.

Bit of a backstory on how the argument happened.

"It happened when Sooraya - who works as some sort of caretaker for newcomers at the Mansion, the role Kitty was covering before, and was to take care of Lian Jai and Iris in school - went to Roy to gently inform him his princes was shooting with a gun in the middle of the day - and without a muffler."

Also:

"In my headcanon, Roy got severely injuried by Prometheus when the other Titans were missing on Marvel's earth and got sidelined for a while. He just put on some pounds and on a man of his though built it quite shows, but he's not properly fat, just a little more than before. I write Lian as the same age as Damian in current continutity, she is therefore approaching that phase of teenagehood when kids like to tease and be snarky, that's why she loves to call daddy fattie."

* * *

The Argument of Lian Harper

"Daddy, I just don't see what's wrong?"

Lian Harper, a young girl with black hair and Asian features, sat in her room, on her bed, as her father, Roy, a muscular red-head, sat next to her explaining the situation to her.

"Lian, Sooraya said you were firing a gun off in broad daylight. You don't see anything wrong with that?" Roy asked her.

"I was just practicing." Lian attempted to justify. She was expected to become his sidekick some day, and figured she needed to know how to use guns.

"You didn't even bother to use a muffler." Roy pointed out.

"I couldn't find one."

"That's besides the point."

"You brought it up." Roy grimaced. He had.

"ANYWAY, you know very well you aren't allowed to train with guns yet. You could have hurt, or even, God forbid, killed someone." Roy lectured. He remembered what it was like growing up without a dad. Maybe that was why he was so screwed up in certain ways. So he didn't want his daughter, whom he was raising by himself, to turn out the same way. He needed to be tough but fair. "Just be thankful no one heard the gun going off or someone could've panicked."

Lian rolled her eyes.

"Daddy, I didn't even use real bullets! They were rubber! And I made sure I was using it where there was no one in the way. Gimme SOME credit."

Roy sighed. He knew this was gonna be difficult.

"Lian, it doesn't matter what was in the gun or where you were! You're too young to be using one, especially by yourself."

"Damian uses guns and he's the same age as me." Lian rationalized. That just caused Roy to laugh a little.

"First off, HE was raised by the League of Assassins. Second, even with that I'm not comfortable with that kid, or ANY, using firearms. Third, YOU are not Damian. Which I'm also thankful to God."

"Whatever." Lian muttered. Roy sighed again and put his arm around Lian's shoulders.

"Lian, I told you that if you want to train you have to do it when I'm around and with what I say's appropriate. I'm not trying to sound bossy. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, but you only practice with me a few times a week. You said Grandpa and Brave Bow trained you every morning." Lian reminded him.

"Yeah. I know honey, I'm sorry. I've been busy a lot." Roy apologized.

"Or maybe if you weren't a fatty you wouldn't be embarrassed to put on your costume during the day since people can see your gut." Lian muttered under her breath.

"Hey, no muttering! And I'm not fat. I just have a little extra pounds on."

"Sure. This is just a little extra." Lian poked at the small belly he acquired after being hospitalized by a villain.

"Watch the backtalk Miss Sarcasm, USA." Roy lectured again. Was HE that snarky when he was her age? "ANYWAY-"

"Well daddy what's the big deal?" Lian cut him off. "I mean, I've been around guns since FOREVER, and if I'm gonna be your sidekick YOU use guns. I've gotta know this stuff!" Lian pleaded.

"You don't need to know this kind of stuff, Lian. Just because I use guns doesn't mean you have to." Roy said in all seriousness. The whole "do as I say, not as I do" move. And God knows with half the crap he's done he hopes she takes it seriously.

"Maybe I want to know how to use guns! Maybe I WANT to be that kind of superhero!" Lian fumed.

"You aren't serious?" Roy couldn't believe his little girl would say that. Seeing the look in her father's eyes, Lian immediately regretted saying it.

"Well I, I dunno. No. I don't. Just, I, you're not being fair!" Lian pouted.

"Lian-"

"I can be trusted with guns!" She yelled.

"You are just a little kid!"

"You trust me with a lot of other stuff!"

"No guns! And that's final!" Roy ordered.

"Ugh! Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Because you're acting like your mom!"

Lian lost all anger in her tone and eyes.

"*Gasp*. I, I'm-"

She let the words sink in, and began to cry. Roy felt like a heel, and tried to hold Lian to comfort her as she buried her eyes in his chest.

"Lian? Hey, hey c'mon baby, I didn't mean to yell. Come on, I'm sorry." Roy tried to sooth her, realizing he hit the rawest of all nerves when he mentioned Lian's mom.

"I don't wanna be like mommy. I don't!" Lian cried.

"What?" Roy asked as Lian lifted her head to look at him through tear-stained eyes.

"I know it's not nice to say that about her, but I don't wanna hurt people like she does. I, I don't wanna kill anyone, I don't wanna be a monster." She started sobbing harder.

"Listen to me." Roy said as he looked Lian directly in the eyes. "You are NOT a monster and don't you ever think that. You're my daughter, and you could never hurt anyone. You just need to be more responsible, and so do I."

He hugged her tightly, and she returned the sentiment as she started to calm down a bit.

"I, I didn't mean to make you mad. I'm sorry." Lian said.

"And I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry too. Just, listen, I promise to start training more if that's what you want. But you're still too young to use guns. When you're older, okay? For now you'll have to stick with the bow, and you can only do it with me or one of your aunts or uncles."

"Does that include Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Yep. Does that sound fair?" He asked her in the spirit of compromise. She nodded her head and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"I'm okay with that. I really like using the bow." She told him. Roy smiled.

"I'm glad you do. Now, you promise to be a bit more patient and responsible if I promise to make more time with you?" Roy asked.

"Yeah." Lian had managed to stop crying, but her cheeks were still tear-stained.

"Pinky swear?" Roy held up his pinky so the two could perform said swear.

"Pinky swear." Lian smiled as she agreed.

"Here, dry your eyes." He took out a handkerchief for her to wipe the tears off her face.

"Do you still love me, daddy?" Lian asked.

"What?" Roy asked incredulously. "Of course! I'll always love you, Etai Yazi, even if you are a little demon sometimes."

"And I'll always love you, daddy, even if you are a fatty."

They just stuck their tongues at each other.


End file.
